Becomes Absolute
by BrownEyeddGirl
Summary: Sequel to BECOMES EVERYTHING! Edward and Bella have been through more than they thought they could handle. But what happens when things finally crumble? When it doesn't matter how hard you try, because it's just too late. Full summery inside! AH/AU
1. I Guess I'll Be Going

**For starters: I wanna sincerely apologize for the monstrous wait! I cannot begin to explain how sorry I really am.**

**Second: I wanna lay down a few things. I am bringing this story back, but I wanna explain now that I will only be updating once every two weeks. I'm sorry, but that's the kind of time I'm left with right now. I barely have time for my new niece, a new place, and two jobs as it is. But I couldn't leave you guys hanging any longer. Plus, I just really needed some stress relief, and my stories have proven to be just that: My stress relief.**

**Third: I wanna let you guys know that my story has taken a different turn and I don't want anyone to be disappointed with me. That's just what my head came up with. But I do honestly hope you all enjoy my new turn on things.**

**And final, this story is unbeta'd! It is spell checked, and I've read over it many times, but even my keen eye slips and makes mistakes. I don't really have the room in my day to converse with someone, so I'm sort of winging it. I will make sure these chapters are as clean and grammar checked as possible (=**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_It's a shame that it had to be this way_  
_ It's not enough to say I'm sorry_  
_ It's not enough to say I'm sorry_

_ Maybe I'm to blame_  
_ Or maybe were the same_  
_ But either way I can't breathe_  
_ Either way I can't breathe_

_ All I had to say is goodbye_  
_ Were better off this way_  
_ Were better off this way_

_Goodbye - Secondhand Serenade.  
_

**Introduction: I Guess I'll Be Going.**

If someone had told me five years ago that I would be married to the love of my life, with a gorgeous daughter that I couldn't possibly get enough of, in my own house back in my hometown, with a teaching degree that I barely had time for, I don't think I'd believe them. I don't think I'd believe them simply because that's not how I saw my life going. Marriage was a possibility, but at eighteen? Children were a definite, but just a year later? I would have said no way.

But that wasn't my reality. I was married at a young age, despite what my parents lessons taught me about the concept of marriage. I had a baby in college, despite what all the tacky, cliche television shows taught me. And my husbands success allowed us to own our own home just blocks away from our families. Perfect, right?

Complications in college, with my beautiful daughter, taught me that life is short, and can be ripped away at any given time. It taught me to make everything count. Every second, every minute of every day mattered. All the miniscule events, they all mattered. I learned a long time ago that I should never take a day for granted. I'd had my share of ups and downs, who hasn't? But all the downs have taught me something or another.

I consider the way my life has gone, the path it has taken, to be pretty great. It's never been a smooth road, but all the bumps and twists and curves have only shown me that nothing is perfect. Life is what you make it. And Edward and I have tried to make it the best, for us and Emma. We've tried, but it didn't always make everything right. We've taken the wrongs and did our very best to make them right again. We've done what we can to make Emma's life perfect. Taught her what she needs to be taught, showed her what she needs to see, and told her what she should hear.

The only thing I regret is allowing certain things to go astray. Emma never saw the wrong. She never saw the arguments, between anyone. She never heard anything bad. And maybe that was my mistake. I've tried not to shelter her, but maybe I should have known better. Bad things are going to happen, to us, to her, to family, to anyone. The choice of whether she should see it or not has been a difficult one. And it slowly keeps getting harder.

Should I allow her to know about Edward and I arguing? Should I allow her to see Edward walk out the door at one in the morning? Should she know about the rough parts of a marriage?

Every marriage goes through tough times, no one is safe from that. My parents weren't, and it ended in divorce. Edward's parents weren't either, but luckily theirs survived; as any good, true marriage could.

So there in lies my problem.

Do I tell Emma that Edward and I have the same problems that any married couple does? Do I tell her that daddy and I still love her, but sometimes we need our space? Do I tell her that everything is going to be okay? Do I lie to her?

"Bella?"

I snapped out of my stupor and turned to look at the front door. Edward stood there, a grim expression on his face. He was upset, as was I.

"Yes, Edward?"

He set his suitcase down and reached up to scratch at his arm, fidgeting, stalling. "I guess I'll be going."

I felt the tears sting at my eyes, threatening to roll over my cheeks and break every wall I've built up. My eyes burned, my heart was breaking, and my mind was scrolling through every amazing moment Edward and I had together. Through every time he said this would never happen.

I slowly nodded, looking away from his sad eyes. I couldn't take the pain.

He took a deep breath, as if he was just waiting for me to say something. I knew he was waiting. He was waiting for me to stop him from walking out that door. He was waiting for me to speak up and tell him not to go. He was waiting for me to be his wife and tell him that everything would be alright, like I had done a thousand times before. But each time I said it, it meant less and less. Because the truth was, no matter how much you told yourself, or someone else, that everything would be alright, it didn't always make it true. Saying it over and over again didn't change reality. And the reality was that Edward and I were falling apart at the seams. Everything was crumbling. Everything that we worked so hard to build up, was turning to dust right in front of our eyes.

And it was too late to do a thing about it. It was too late to make things right again. We had waited too long.

The life we knew, the life we built, was gone. Everything was gone. The house Emma knew, grew up in, was no longer.

Every fight, every argument, every time we yelled at one another just pushed us closer and closer to where we are now. It was over. Everything was over.

I wanted to tell him that I loved him, that I couldn't stand to see him walk out that door. I wanted to tell him that I needed him. I needed him, and Emma needed him, and we needed him here, in our home, the very home we built for us, and her. I wanted to tell him that everything was going to be alright again. But like I said, saying it doesn't make it true. Especially when you've said it a hundred times and it didn't change anything. Why would I say it right now, if I knew it wasn't true. Things weren't going to be alright. My husband had packed his things and was about to walk out of our front door. Things were not okay.

"Look, Bella," he started, stepping towards me. "I don't," he stuttered, and then took a deep breath, "I don't wanna go."

My eyes met his and I felt a pang of sadness. I didn't want him to go either. But I didn't speak up.

"Bella," he pleaded.

I shook my head. "Edward, we agreed that this would be best." I quietly said, standing up.

He nodded slowly, begrudgingly. "I know, but Bella, baby," he bit down on his bottom lip. "I can't just leave you and Emma."

"Edward," I started, staring him directly in the eyes. "Please go."

I saw the tears fall from his eyes. I saw them pour over his cheeks and hit the light blue shirt he was wearing. I saw how they quickly stained the shirt darker as he turned his head and bent down to pick up his suitcase. Before I knew what to do, my husband of five years walked out the door and locked it behind him. I heard his car start, and I heard him quickly back out of the driveway.

I heard him drive away. Drive away from us. And it was all my fault.

The tears rolled down my face faster than I had time to stop them. I lost it. All the effort to hold back. All the effort to just put on a brave face while my world fell apart, was gone. I lost my mind.

If someone had told me five years ago that I would have just let the love of my life walk away from me. I don't think I'd believe them. I don't think I'd believe them simply because that's not how I saw my life going.


	2. Would I Ever Go Home?

**Chapter Two .. Edward**

**Would I Ever Go Home?**

Walking away from the life we built was by far the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Packing my things and shoving them into some cold suitcase that I knew would only sit on some cold hotel room floor hurt. It hurt me more than anything ever will.

If someone had told me five years ago that Bella and I would be separated after all that we have been through, I wouldn't have believe them. I wouldn't have believed them simply because I would have never pictured myself walking away from my family. I wouldn't have believed them because that's not how I saw my life going.

What would she tell Emma? Where would she tell her that I was? Would she tell her that daddy was never coming home? Would she tell her that I didn't love her anymore? Would she tell Emma that I didn't love mommy anymore?

She wouldn't. Bella wasn't like that. But it was still a fear. A huge fear that has done nothing but nag and eat at me the whole way to the hotel. What would Bella tell Emma? What would Bella tell the daughter that I loved with my whole heart? And how would she react to waking up in a house with only one parent? And would it be true? Was daddy never coming home? Would I ever go home?

I loved Bella with every small shard of my broken heart. I loved her with every thing I had. I loved her more than I would ever love someone else. She was my world. She was my everything. She had been the center of my universe since I was a kid. She was my best friend, my first love, my wife and the mother of my child. She was the only woman for me. The physical pain of losing her hurt more than I could ever explain. And seeing that same pain reflected in her beautiful brown eyes, made everything ten times worse. It made the pain of leaving her and my baby girl more than I could bear.

But maybe that's something I should have thought about before I ruined everything. Maybe if I had thought of Bella, and Emma, I wouldn't be sitting on a cold, hard, unfamiliar double bed. In a dark, lonely room. Maybe if I had thought of them first, I wouldn't have ruined the only real thing I cared about. Work was good, but was it worth losing my family? I guess I had thought so. I guess spending fourteen hours at work meant more than spending much needed time at home. I had thought that the life Bella and I built was strong, strong enough to withstand something of any magnitude. I thought it was strong enough to hold up against anything, even a stupid work-a-holic like myself.

If I was being honest with myself, I didn't think the choices that I had made would lead me here. I didn't think that a simple choice would put me here, alone, without my family. I really didn't think anything through. Bella had always supported me. She supported me through everything. High school, College, my first year of working as a Composer at a company I had only dreamed of working for. She supported it all. I just don't know what went wrong, or where it went wrong.

Everything was perfect and slowly it began to unravel. Things began to fall apart little by little and crumble and I was too busy to notice. The life we built together started to crash right in front of us, and I was too blind to see it. I was too biased to realize that things were no longer perfect. It was my own fault, and still I couldn't tell you when or where it started to go wrong. I couldn't tell you where it started the downward spiral that would eventually lead us here. To this very night. The night I walked away from my family. The night I walked away from everything that ever mattered. I guess I had always had this perfect picture in my head, of Bella and I, our family, our Emma. And that picture covered up the truth. It covered up the fact that my life wasn't perfect, I had just always thought it would be.

I felt awful. There were no words to describe how much I hated myself for what I done. There were no words to describe how much I had messed up.

I flung myself back onto the stiff bed and put my hands over my head, quickly wiping the tears away. I closed my eyes and all I could see was Bella. I saw her beautiful face and my vision was clouded. My eyes burned, my heart was breaking, and my mind was scrolling though every amazing moment Bella and I had together. Through every time I swore this would never happen. Through every time we promised each other that things would be alright again.

But it wasn't. And I did nothing to stop it.

I couldn't sleep that night. I kept rolling over, just wishing she would be there, next to me, waiting for me to wrap my arms around her and hold like I used to. All those nights I spent on the couch and took for granted how amazing holding my wife felt. All those nights I spent alone, and not once did I toss and turn willing Bella to be there next to me. But tonight, I was.

I took Bella for granted. I loved her, but not once did I learn to appreciate her. It took nearly losing her, and my child, to know what my life would be like without her. I had to image how my life would be if I were alone in it. If I was all by myself, I swore to myself that I would go crazy.I had no life without Bella and Emma. I needed them. I was convinced that I learned my lesson. So why was I laying here alone? Had I in fact not learned my lesson? Did I not remember what not having her felt like? How could I forget?

It took everything my body had to will me to walk away from her. To walk away from a life only Bella and I could have. I could never have the happiness I had with Bella with someone else. Never in my life could I feel for someone half of what I felt for Bella. Never could I love someone like I loved her. I needed her. She was everything that held my world together. So what do I do now? What do I do with myself? Without her, I wasn't sure who I was.

"Edward?" Allison, my assistant, poked her head in my door. "You have someone here to see you."

I shook my head, "I'm not in the mood today. Sorry."

She bit down on her lip. "She won't leave. I told her that you weren't seeing anyone today, but she insists. She said she's your sister?"

I groaned under my breath and nodded my head. She wasn't going to leave. "Let her in."

Before Allison could move completely out of the way, Alice barged in the room. "What is wrong with you?" She hollered out.

I quickly stood up, "Alice, please be quiet." Then I waved Allison away quickly. She nodded and shut the door quietly.

"No," she argued. "How could you do this to your family? Were you dropped on your skull as an infant? Bella and Emma are the best things that are ever going to happen to you. How could you just leave that? You have a home with them, Edward. This isn't something you just walk away from. It's life."

"Alice," I held my hand up, ushering her to sit down. "Please stop yelling at me and just sit down."

She huffed and pursed her lips, leaning over the back of the chair as opposed to sitting in it, clearly angry with me. "You have two seconds before I start yelling again."

"I didn't want to leave, Alice." I began quickly. "Bella, well, she asked me to. We couldn't stop fighting and I didn't know what to do, and she asked me to leave. She told me it would be best if I left for a little while. I didn't know what to do, Ali." I started to break down again, feeling the sting of tears in my eyes all over again. "You have to believe me, I didn't want to walk away. They are my life, and I can't function without them. Can't you see that?" I asked, looking her dead in the eye. "I can't sleep, I can't work. I can't do anything."

Her anger started to die down as I saw her eyes sweep my face, obviously seeing the dark circles under my eyes, and then my desk, where nothing was done, just random papers strewn all over the place, and I saw her face calm. She looked down at the chair in front of my desk and slowly pulled it out. She sat down and looked up at me, watching as I wiped the tears from my face and sat down myself.

"I'm a mess, Alice." I whispered.

She shook her head, "How did this happen?"

I put my face in my hands, shrugging my shoulders. "It's my fault, I know that much, but I really don't know what went wrong. I thought everything was fine, and then we just started arguing and fighting and it became a nightly thing and now I'm here," I said, sweeping the room with my arm. "I'm here, alone, tired, and scared to death that I just lost my life. It's like everything moved in fast forward and I skipped right over the park where I royally fucked up."

"You guys are gonna get back together, right?" She asked, fear in her eyes. "You can't break up, Edward. You and Bella are married, remember? You remember the trip to Vegas, right? You remember everything everyone told you, and you did it anyways. You did it because you loved her. You did it because you don't want anyone but her. That's gotta mean something, Edward."

I nodded, "It should, but I just don't know anymore."

"Don't," she leaned forward, slamming her hand on the desk. "Don't you dare say you don't know. You know, you know that you love her, and you know that you two belong together. There is no 'I don't know' Edward. You know damn well that Bella needs you there. She doesn't need you here," she swiped the room with her hand. "In this damn office. That's what started all these problems. How can you even sit in here and not feel bad?"

"I do feel bad, Alice." I snapped. "I feel terrible that I no longer have my family."

"So you're just giving up?" She interrupted me. "You're just going to let her go, just like that?"

I shook my head, putting my hands over my eyes and rubbing them down my face. "I don't know Alice! She said she didn't want me there, what else am I supposed to do? I have to let her calm down some before I thrust myself back on her. I won't let her go, but I have to give her time."

"You know Edward, if Jasper had asked me to leave, begged me even, there is no way in hell I'd move. It wouldn't matter what he said. He's he love of my life, and you know this. You know how much I love him, how much I care about him. Nothing in this world could tear us apart." She shook her head in disappointment. "Nothing."

"You don't get it Alice," I argued. "You just don't get it."

I love Bella, and it didn't matter how many times I said it, it never changed. I loved her more and more every day. But no matter what I said, what I did, I couldn't take back anything I'd done wrong. I couldn't make this right like Alice wanted me too. I couldn't just go back home and pray everything would go back to normal. Bella and I lived in denial for far too long to take anything back now. We needed help, we needed to work on things, not just hope that it would go away. Living like that for months obviously showed us that never worked.

Eventually, after no further argument on my part, Alice rose from her seat and walked away. She slammed the door behind her, rattling the picture on the wall. I understood her anger. I truly did. But what could I do now? I had ruined things beyond the point of hopes and dreams fixing my marriage. It was up to me now, it was up to me to fix my life with Bella. And the only solution I found at the moment was time. It could either be on my side, or it could hurt me, but at this point, I didn't know how much worse it could get.

I threw myself back in my chair, letting it rock harshly. I couldn't work like this. So I packed my folder up, shoved it inside my bag and stood up. I walked right past Allison without a single word to her. She just looked back down at her desk and ignored me, giving me the space I requested earlier.

I hurried to my car, throwing my bag into the passenger seat and starting it quickly. I sped out of the parking garage and onto the wet streets of Forks. I didn't know where I would go. I couldn't go home. I obviously couldn't go to my sisters house. I found only one option.

"So, trouble in paradise, little brother?" Emmett asked as he plopped down on the couch next to me, handing me a can of soda.

I shook my head at his obscenity. "I already got my lecture from Alice."

"Oh, don't worry." He assured. "I'm not going to lecture you, Edward." Then he kicked his feet up and turned on the television. "But I do suppose you're going to need somewhere to stay. And someone to keep your mind off things." He glanced towards me, a small grin on his face. "That's what I'm here for. I'm not good at many things, but I am good at that."

I nodded, allowing my mind to rest as my head sank into the couch cushion behind me. Emmett was right. He wasn't good at talking, he wasn't good at understanding a predicament. But he was good at just being there. He was good at taking your mind off of what you didn't want to think about. And I did need a place to stay.


	3. We Needed Us Back

**Chapter Three** **.. Bella**

**I Can't Imagine How Our Life Came To This.**

"Emma, sweetie, please eat your breakfast." I practically begged her as I pushed the plate back in front of her. She frowned at me, but reached out to pick up her fork. She fiddled with it for a moment before stabbing the small sliver of waffle that I cut for her.

I shook my head, more at myself, as I slowly picked at my own breakfast. We ate slowly, quietly. Much different from a year or so ago. I watched as my daughter ate through the pain of her Daddy not being present for breakfast. But this wasn't the first time I'd seen this. Every time Edward skipped out on breakfast I saw this. That's why I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn't entirely my fault. I had to keep telling my brain that this had been going on before my asking him to leave. Maybe I was trying to place blame elsewhere, or maybe I was just trying to keep my own sanity in a situation where it could go at any time.

Or maybe Edward and I were slowly ruining our beautiful baby girl.

"Momma," she spoke, catching my attention. "We go see Uncle Em today?"

I smiled at her, anything to make her happy. "Of course sweetheart. We'll go as soon as you're finished with you food, okay?"

She nodded, a spark of happiness lighting up her bright green eyes. They glittered with excitement as she scrabbled her breakfast down. I reminded her to slow down before she got a tummy ache. She made me laugh. My daughter made me the happiest person on earth. She held so much excitement, so much happiness and eagerness. She held passion and kindness. She was my world, and everything that revolved around it. She was biased and completely trusting. Never could anything dull her moment. She was a perfect mixture of Edward and myself.

When she was done eating, she pushed her plate away and sat patiently, waiting for me to lift her out of her booster seat. I wiped my face and set my napkin down atop my own unfinished food and got up to help her out. She reached her arms up, smiling at me as I pulled her up and out. Once her feet hit the floor, she ran off upstairs, tripping over the first step. I cringed as she quickly lifted herself up and wiped her knees. She turned to smile at me, letting me know she was okay, and bounded up the rest of the stairs.

I cleared the table, washing the dishes quickly before heading upstairs myself.

As I passed Emma's room, I saw her sitting on the floor in front of her dresser. She had her tiny pink shoes laying just in front of her. "Emma?" I peeked my head inside. "Do you need any help?"

She nodded slowly. "Daddy always help me."

I swallowed hard and nodded, stepping inside her room and kneeling in front of her. I grabbed her shoes and carefully pushed them onto her foot. She helped me. Then I tied them and reached up to straighten out her shirt. "All done, sweet girl."

She smiled at me and gingerly wiped the hair from my face, placing her tiny palm on my cheek. "Now momma get ready."

I smiled wide, grateful for my daughter's kind nature.

Emma helped me get ready, picking out her favorite shirt of mine.

"No Momma," she argued. "Dis one!"

I laughed and grabbed it from her hands. "Fine." Then I slipped it on over my lace tank top and buttoned up the front of it. "What would I do without you, baby girl?"

She giggled and shrugged her tiny shoulders as she ran off back into the closet to find my shoes. I hate to say it, but my daughter inherited a lot more from her Aunt Alice then I wanted her too. Moments later she came back out holding the shoes she wanted me to wear. "Here go."

I knelt down, taking them from her so I could slip them on. She sat patiently awaiting for me to be ready so we could go.

My plan was to keep her busy. If I kept her moving and happy and busied with something else, maybe I wouldn't have to explain where Edward was. That was probably wishful thinking, but I didn't see it hurting any. And Emmett was a great source to keep her mind off of things. She could spend hours upon hours playing with Uncle Emmett. And seeing as it was spring break, he wouldn't be up at the school field today.

"Ready?" I asked her as I grabbed my keys off of the dresser. She nodded quickly and reached up for my hand, practically dragging me out of the room and down the stairs. She grabbed her rain coat off the arm of the chair and threw it over her head. I had to assist her, but she managed to get it on correctly.

On the way there I made sure to call Rosalie and let her know we were on our way. She happily agreed and said she would see us soon.

Emma happily bobbed her head in the backseat to the music. She listened carefully to every word, recognizing every note. She got that from Edward. I felt my heart sink at the thought of him. I felt the strings pull and my blood pulse. I felt the hammering of my heart in my chest. All those familiar feelings never went away, it just seemed to hurt more now. Now that I knew everything could possibly be coming to an end. I knew I had to call him at some point. We had to talk, and we had to work things out. We had to either fix this, or end the suffering. But the idea of ending anything with Edward broke me in half. I couldn't take that sort of pain right now.

If this was indeed the end of Edward and I, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with myself. I wasn't sure how I was going to live. How was I going to raise Emma? I never pictured raising my daughter in two separate households. I never wanted that for her.

But that was what Edward and I got for being so blind. Everything had been perfect for so long that we were blinded to what could go wrong. And now we were paying for that. In the most painful way.

"Bella!" Rosalie greeted us as I got out of the drivers side. She walked down the sidewalk to give me a quick hug. "How are you?"

I heard the sympathy in her voice and shook my head, giving her a weak smile as I pulled away from her. "I'm fine." Then I proceeded to get Emma out.

Emma was bouncing with joy as she saw her Aunt Rose. She nearly leaped out of my grasp and into Rosalie's. Rose picked her up and hugged her tightly, carrying her inside. I followed closely behind, locking the car before stepping inside.

As soon as we stepped inside the door, Emmett jumped up off of the couch. He looked at me, his eyes wide, and then to Emma. "Well, hello there." He stuttered out, reaching out for Emma. "What brings you guys over here?"

"Emma wanted to see her Uncle Em," I replied, eyeing him carefully. "You alright Emmett."

Rosalie just chuckled and walked away, offering to grab drinks.

"Yeah, it's, um, alright." He shook his head and turned his focus back on Emma. "And how have you been little squirt? Giving mommy a hard time yet?"

Emma giggled and shook her head, reaching out to hug Emmett's neck. She managed to attach to Emmett rather quickly over the years. It probably had something to do with Emmett's toddler mentality. It made him very accessible to her. It made her feel like she had someone of equal mind.

"Here, Bella." Rosalie handed me a bottle of water and motioned for me to sit down. I had no doubt at all that she already heard about what was going on between Edward and I. Alice got me yesterday, bickering and arguing with me about the sanctity of a marriage. She got lucky. She got to marry Jasper with no complications. Her and Jasper were happy and blissful. They chose a normal wedding, very unlike Edward and I's. I couldn't help but think that if maybe Edward and I had taken things a bit slower..

No. I couldn't think like that. I loved Edward, and I had never once regretted anything he and I did. Not our marriage, not our baby girl, not the life we worked so hard to build. I just wish things would stop being so hard for us, and become a little easier.

"How are you doing?" Rose asked carefully, eyeing my reaction. "How's Emma?"

"We're fine." I assured. "Adjusting."

Emmett shook his head. "Don't adjust." Then he looked away from Emma and to me, giving me his best big brother look. "Don't adjust to him not being there. You two will work things out."

"Emmett," Rose cut in. "Don't lecture her. I'm pretty sure Alice did enough of that yesterday. With the both of them."

"Both of us?" I questioned, setting my water down on the table.

Rosalie nodded. "Edward said that Alice went into his office yesterday. Caused quite a scene with the receptionist." Then she shook her head. "Little busybody."

I sighed. So she had gotten a hold of Edward too. I figured she must have.

"You know Alice, Rose." Emmett started. "She can't live without knowing exactly what's going on every where. She thrives off of that."

I smiled as I watched Emma play with Emmett. She giggled and slapped around as Emmett dodged her hits and tickled her sides. He was a perfect distraction for her. He was a good Uncle. Someone Emma trusted with her happiness. Someone I trusted with her happiness.

"Emmett, I forgot my socks at home, so I just borrowed yours."

I twisted around quickly just as Edward proceeded down the stairs, wiping his wet hair with a towel.

"Hope you don't.." He cut himself off as his eyes met mine. "Oh,"

I stood up quickly, looking back at Rosalie, who just stood up with me and nodded her head towards the kitchen. "Bella, I um, need," she stammered "some help."

I nodded and followed her into the kitchen as I heard Emma squeal. She leaped off of Emmett's lap and into Edward's arms. I smiled as I stepped into their kitchen.

"You could have at least told me." I said, staring at Rose and she stood on the other side of the counter.

She nodded. "I could have." Then she shrugged. "But it's not like you two are getting divorced, right? It's not like you're hiding from each other. He has to see Emma, therefore, you have to see him."

I nodded. "Exactly. But," And I stopped. I had no argument. She was right. We had to see each other, and we were not divorced. "Yeah." I finally sighed.

"Bella," I heard the ever familiar velvet voice whisper from behind me.

I turned around slowly, meeting his piercing gaze. I suddenly felt myself melting beneath his stare. "Yes?"

He carefully stepped forward, looking over my shoulder at Rosalie. "Do you mind if Bella and I talk for a moment?"

Rosalie quickly shook her head, "Of course." Then hurried around the counter and out of the kitchen. She stopped just in time to grin at me as she rounded the corner and disappeared.

"Bella," Edward started, "I wanna start by apologizing. I can't imagine how our life came to this."

I propped myself up on one of the kitchen stools and stared at him, nodding my head. "I'm sorry too, Edward. It's just that," I paused, shaking my head and trying to find the right words to day. I didn't know how to explain how I felt about everything that was happening to us. "I don't know how to deal with this anymore. I can't keep allowing things to go this way."

He nodded, quickly moving to stand in front of me. "I know. I understand. I can't either, but Bella, love," he grabbed my hands in his, taking them firmly in his grasp. "I can't live without you."

"Edward," I sighed quietly. "I love you, so very much, but we need time."

I watched the agony instantly hit his eyes, turning his sparkling, hopeful green eyes to a saddened, defeated shell of there former self. I hated doing this, the pain thrusting through my chest assured me of that, but what else could I do? We agreed on time, that we needed adequate time to reevaluate everything. Reevaluate ourselves, as a couple, and as individuals. Our biggest mistake in our life spent together so far was that we rushed into everything. A serious relationship, our marriage, having a child. We rushed through college, both working our asses off to get out of there early, instead of taking our time and enjoying our years. We knew our mistakes, and I was determined to not let it hurt us any further.

We couldn't just rush back into this, into being the same old married couple we were just days ago. It would only lead us right back to where we were. Nothing would get solved, and I just couldn't do that.

"I have to think of Emma." I whispered. "I have to think of her, and what this is doing to her. What it could possibly do if we continue this any longer." I shook my head, gripping his fingers tightly. "We need help. We need to fix this, Edward. We can't just keep pretending it's not there. It's going to ruin us, and her," I nodded toward the living room. "She's too important."

He nodded slowly and let go of my hands, letting them fall to my lap. "I understand. And I'll do whatever it takes Bella. I'll give you as much time as you need." And as he turned to walk away, I felt the pang in my chest rise, the sickness set in, a hurt that never went away.

"Edward," I called out for him, stopping him dead in his tracks. I didn't want to watch him walk away again. "Do you work today?"

He shook his head as he turned back around. "No, I called the day off. It's too hard to concentrate."

I nodded, and then sighed as I hopped down off of the stool. "I was thinking about taking Emma to Port Angeles Zoo today. I would love it if you would join."

His smile returned, brighter than ever. "I would love that. Thank you for thinking to include me."

"Of course." I smiled back. "You're still her father, Edward. I would never take that away from you. Besides," I shrugged, " It'll be best to try raising her together while we work on this. She still needs the both of us."

His happiness was a sight to see. I hadn't seen it in a while, and I couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't end badly. Maybe we still stood a chance. Maybe we still had hopes for the happiness we always dreamed of. The cover of happiness that once threatened to tear us to pieces showed that it could be the other way around. We just needed a different sort of happiness, not that shard of joy that we once thrived off of. We needed real happiness.

We deserved real happiness. Not the kind you read in books, or newspaper. Not the kind you see in sappy over-rated movies. And not the kind that you see on the surface. We needed the happiness that radiated below the surface, that when the cameras turned away, was still there. We needed the happiness that long written love stories thrived off of - got their inspiration from.

We needed us back.


	4. I Can't Do This Right Now

**Chapter Four ..** **Edward**

**I Can't Do This Right Now  
**

The simplicity of joining my girls at the Zoo shouldn't have made me as happy as it did. That was my sign. Or, at the very least, one of them. My sign that things were falling apart, and if Bella and I stood any chance at fixing it, making our relationship ours again, we had to focus on our baby girl first and foremost. Emma was our baby, our daughter - our life, and she deserved to have happy parents. But in order for Bells and I to do that, we had to stop taking advantage of the simple days and start enjoying them.

Rosalie and Emmett agreed to join us on our outing. No one really thought to invite Alice or Jasper. That wasn't what I needed. I needed to be able to enjoy a day out with my daughter without my sister breathing down my neck about how Bella and I are acting.

I was trying my best not to make this awkward. I was trying to just enjoy my day, spend time with my daughter, watch her 'ooh' and 'awe' at the exotic animals that she's never seen before. But the more I tried to not focus on Bella and I, the more awkward it all became.

I'd find myself staring at her, wondering if she was thinking of us, and thinking of how we were going to figure this all out. I found myself wishing that she was, but then I stopped myself. I wanted her to enjoy her day too, and not have to think about fixing this god-awful mess of a relationship that has conspired. I felt like a teenager again, gawking at the woman I loved so dearly, and secretly wishing she was thinking of me too. If things could just go back to being that simple - to being a teenager in love. The drama from my teen years seemed so unimportant compared to the drama my life was surrounded by these days. In high school I had one worry, keeping Bella happy. And it was simple. I didn't have work and marriage and Emma and family to balance. I had Bella, and our days were simple. Our relationship was simple. Now, things were jumbled and complicated and messy. Nothing was easy anymore.

I found myself over-thinking everything. Over analyzing every single solitary thought. Everything that I wished would happen, everything that I didn't want to ever happen. Everything that had gone wrong, and everything that was so obvious to fix then, now un-fixable. Every move that Bella made, I saw it. Every smile, every frown, everything. The only difference was that now I was hyper-aware of every move she made. I was ready to fix something before it even went wrong. But that was _now_. A week ago, my mind didn't reel that way. My mind was no where close to being that sensitive to her. And it should have been. We wouldn't be going through this if it had been. If I had only learned to pay attention to my wife, the love of my life, we wouldn't be in the middle of this huge mess.

But that was my problem. I didn't became aware until it was too late.

"Daddy!" Emma squealed as she quickly pulled her hand back from the petting corral. She smiled up at me, a bright smile that showed no care in the world. "He licked me!"

I smiled and walked over to her, lifting her in my arms to peak over the top of the tiny picket fence. She giggled with happiness, kicking and squealing as the baby goats continued to sniff at her food covered hands.

"Edward," Rosalie called, and as I turned to look at her, she snapped a picture of Emma and I. I smiled and turned my focus back onto Emma.

"Daddy!" She turned her head. "You feed them."

I quickly shook my head and set her back on the ground for her to wipe off her hands. "Sorry baby, but I think the baby animals are for the baby's only."

She put her tiny hands on her hips, looking over at her Uncle Emmett. "Then why is Uncle Em doin' it?"

I looked over at Emmett just as he stood back up, pulling his hand away from the animals. "What?" He asked, confusion covering his face. "It doesn't say anything about kids only."

"Common sense." Rosalie huffed as she grabbed a wet nap for Emmett as well.

I laughed as I watched her wipe his hands off, getting all the sticky food crumbs off. She shook her head, but then stretched up to kiss his cheek. I turned my head, giving them their small minute of privacy. My eyes wandered to Bella. I watched as Emma crashed into her legs, knocking her unsteady. I watched as she knelt down, becoming eye-level with Emma. And then I watched her smile as she wiped her face clean of dirt. I sighed, realizing that I was missing this. I was missing my family, and the simple joys of just having them there. I was a father, and a husband, and that should have meant more than anything, especially my career.

I could find a job anywhere, doing anything, but I chose to dedicate all of my time to one thing, to one passion. Granted that passion took me far, further than I ever dreamed possible, but it also took me away from my family; the family I spent so many years wanting. At this point, my priorities were an unsorted mess that I couldn't make heads or tails of. I knew what I should be concerned about, but for the past year or so I just wasn't. I didn't have a good reason, just tons of excuses.

"Edward." Bella's voice brought me away from my thoughts and back into the real world. "Do you mind taking her for a second. I'm gonna go find her a drink."

I nodded, not minding at all, as I took Emma's hand and led her to a picnic bench. She jumped up on the bench and sat down, wiggling her bottom a bit to get comfortable. I sat down next to her, keeping a close eye on her. "Are you enjoying the Zoo, pretty girl?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes." Then she smiled at me.

"That's great, baby." I put my arm behind her, paying careful attention to her face. She looked so happy, so excited.

For the first time in a while I actually looked at my daughter. I saw how long her hair had gotten, how the golden brown was lightening up more and more as she got older. How her curls hung halfway down her back, bouncing when she laughed. I saw how green her eyes were, how they sparkled when she looked into the light. I saw them and was instantly reminded of my own, like looking into a mirror. She was so beautiful. I saw the scab on her knee and furrowed my eyebrows, reaching down to stroke her skin with my thumb.

"What happened?"

She simply shrugged. "I falled." Like it was no big deal.

I chuckled lightly. She was her mother's child. And then I realized that I didn't recall her falling at all. I couldn't remember ever picking my daughter up after she fell. I shook my head in disappointment, realizing exactly why Bella and I were going through this. I was a pretty crappy dad, and an ever crappier husband. Bella and Emma deserved more than that. They deserved more of me.

But one day wasn't going to make things better. It had taken months to get this bad, to get to the point of breaking, and one day out with them was not going to take back those months. It wasn't going to heal anything overnight. I had started to realize what I had done wrong, now I just had to work on fixing it. Now that I had a better understanding, I knew where to start.

I was missing too much of their lives. I was missing everything.

Six hour days at the studio became eight hours days, which later turned to twelve hour days. A late night here and there turned into six late nights in a row. One final project turned into working seven days a week, going two or three weeks without taking a day off. And that in turn ruined everything at home.

"Edward," Bella spoke softly as she handed Emma her drink. She helped her off of the bench and turned to point at Emmett and Rosalie standing by the bird cages. Emma quickly lopped off, running straight towards them. "Are you alright?" She asked as she took Emma's place on the bench.

I shrugged. "No."

She sighed, laying her hand on my knee. "Edward, stop trying to over-think everything and just enjoy your day with her. You and her haven't spent quality time in a while, why don't you go over there and.."

"That's exactly my problem, Bells." I interrupted. "That's exactly it. I haven't spend quality time with my daughter in a while, and that's not right."

"Edward," she made an attempt to argue, but I stopped her.

"Don't," I put my hand on hers, stopping her abruptly. "Don't try and say it's fine, or it's okay. Don't try to make me feel any less bad about what I've done. Just don't."

She sighed quietly, shaking her head. "You can't fix what you've done, Edward. But you can make it better."

"How?" I asked her, turning to look into her sincere brown eyes. And then I quickly realized that this wasn't what Bella wanted. She didn't want me groveling and asking her what I should do. She didn't want to have to tell me how to fix things. She wanted me to just know. And I should just know. "I'm sorry." I quickly shook my head, standing up. She stood up right next to me. "I'm so sorry, Bella."

She gave me a small smile. "Don't be. Just try, Edward. Try and be there."

I nodded and looked back at her, watching as she gave me a soft, reassuring smile. She reached up, grabbing my arm just above my elbow. She gently tugged me to the left, over to where Emma was standing with Rosalie and Emmett. I walked over and politely took my daughter from Rosalie, smiling at her as I took her over to the next exhibit.

Emma's eyes only grew brighter, happier, as the day drug on. She was a brilliant young child that took so much more out of this trip. She was learning. And she was happy. It was as if nothing had gone wrong in her life, like everything remained perfect. Her world was a world un-biased and happy. A brightly colored world full of excitement. What I wouldn't give to live in her perfect existence.

"Daddy?" Emma asked, tugging on my sleeve. I looked down at her and didn't have to ask what she wanted. She stretched her arms up, her little dimpled hands grasping into fists over and over. I nodded and leaned down to pick her up. She wasted no time in getting comfortable on my chest, wrapping her arms around my neck and resting her head on my shoulder. I felt her sigh, her cool breath hitting the back of my neck.

Bella looked back at us, when she realized Emma wasn't running next to her anymore, and smiled. Then she looked at her cell for the time. "We should get going, Edward. It's about her nap time, and I'd imagine she's whooped."

I nodded, allowing her to lead me towards the gate.

I followed Bella to the car. She opened the back door for me and I lowered a sleeping Emma into her carseat. I buckled her in and checked her over once more before shutting the door as quietly as I could. I turned to look at Bella, watching her smile as she stared through the back window.

"Did you have a good time, Bella?" I asked quietly, politely disturbing her from her thoughts. She nodded slowly, making no move to look up at me. She just continued to stare at Emma, her smile breaking my heart slowly. So much love and compassion in her eyes, so much need for the little girl in the back seat. I silently asked myself if I had wore that gleaming face. "I um," I stuttered, reaching up to scratch the back of my neck, "I was thinking, maybe we could go back to Emmett and Rosalie's house. I offered to help Rosalie cook tonight, and I'm pretty sure I can convince her to have your favorite."

She finally looked at me, blinking her eyes as if she was in a trance. Then she nodded once. "Sure, Edward."

A bright smile tore across my face, and nothing I could do stopped it. I probably looked like a foolish clown next to her as I opened the car door for her and watched her sit down.

"Today was fun," I did my best at striking conversation on the ride home. "Emma sure enjoyed herself."

Bella nodded as she stared out the window. She only glanced my way for a second, a small smile gracing her face. I didn't really know how to far to push a conversation with her. I didn't know where to stop, or start. I didn't know my new boundaries, per say.

"Edward," she finally whispered. I quickly took notice of her, reaching over and touching her leg. She looked down at my hand before looking at my face. "Where did we go wrong?"

I froze, swallowed hard, and then took a deep breath, shaking my head. "I don't know Bella."

"She's perfect." She quickly looked into the backseat. "She's always happy, never upset. She takes life in stride, one day at a time, never allowing anything to damper her mood. She's brilliant, and so humorous. She's beautiful."

"That she is, Bella. I don't really think we did anything wrong there. We made a wonderful child."

"But what did we do wrong?" She asked again. "I could be selfish and blame everything on you. Your job, the long hours, the time spent away from her. I could blame her unhappiness on you, but there is no unhappiness." She shook her head and looked forward again. "I'm so confused, Edward. I don't know what to do, because I'm not exactly sure what to fix. There has to be something wrong that I'm no seeing, but I want to see."

I was confused. "You want something to be wrong to her?"

Bella shook her head. "No." And then she looked back at me, her eyes watering. "But shouldn't there be? Is she hiding it from me? Is it there, and I just can't see it? Is Emma sad and I'm too busy trying to worry about myself to see her?"

"No," I quickly argued. "No, Emma's not sad."

"But she has to be," she quickly rebutted. "She has to be upset about something. Her parents are falling apart, and she's not upset?"

I shook my head. Emma wasn't upset about anything, and the worse Bella felt about nothing at all, the worse I felt about everything. She had nothing to feel bad about. She was a perfect mother, and a perfect wife. She reveled and in her duties with Emma, and myself. She was a natural. It was me who had messed up, and now Bella was trying to clean up after me.

"Bella, you have to stop." I demanded. "You have to stop thinking it's all your fault."

"I don't." She snapped back. "I know this isn't all of my fault, Edward. I know it takes two to mess things up this bad, but I'm not worried about us right now. I'm worried about Emma. One step at a time, right? Well, she should be first."

"You're very right, but there's nothing to be worried about, love." I reassured her, trying to reach for her hand, but she quickly, subtly moved it away. I flinched back, sadness clearly shown in my face. "Emma is a perfect child," I started to choke out, "and you are a perfect mother. If you don't believe me, ask anyone, Bella. Anyone will tell you that she is just fine."

As I pulled into the driveway, I quickly put the car in park and shut it off, turning to face Bella. But she was already trying to get out of the car. I snatched her hand from her lap and gently tugged her towards me, forcing her to look at me. "Bella, give me a minute."

She shook her head. "I can't do this right now."

I groaned and got out of the car, rushing to her side in a mad dash. Rosalie pulled up next to her and as soon as she saw my face, and Bella trying to run from my touch, she got out of her car and stepped forward. She silently grabbed Emma from the back seat and took her inside. Bella tried to argue with her, but Rose quietly stepped away.

"Bella," I said her name again, grabbing both of her hands. She looked down at the driveway, avoiding my face. "Just give me a damn minute, will you?"

That got her attention. She snapped her head up, glaring into my eyes. "You've had plenty of minutes."

"What is wrong, Bella? You were fine all day, and now?" I shook my head in disbelief. "What is wrong?"

"This," she snatched her hands from my grasp and moved her hands in a motion between us. "This is wrong, Edward. I can't do this right now."

And she stepped around me. I tried to stop her, but she snaked her way through the two cars and to the front door. I raced after her, grabbing her hand in one more feeble attempt to make her listen to me. "Bella, I know you don't _want_ to do this right now, but whether you like you it or not, you are still my wife, and I am still your husband, and we need to talk."

She glared at me again, anger in her eyes. "Why now?

"Because," I shot back. "I need to work this out, Bells. I need you. I need that little girl in there," I pointed to the door angrily, "I need my family back. I can't let my mistakes slaughter my family apart." She started to say something, but I cut her off. "Yes, I know. I should have thought of that months ago, right? You can't tell me anything I don't already know. I know what I did, and I know what I'm doing, to us, and to her. You're worried about Emma, and you should be, but right now, I need you to worry about us. Emma is fine, beyond fine. But the more we fall apart, the more time we spend hating one another, the worse it's all going to get."

The tears started pouring down her face and I felt the pull on my heartstrings. I reached up, instinctively, to wipe them away. She allowed me.

"Bella," I lowered my voice, sighing quietly as I loosened my grip on her hand. "I know everything that you want to say to me. I know how you feel, and I know you want nothing more than to blame this on me. I know that. I deserve that. But I also deserve another chance."

She nodded slowly as I cupped her face, holding what little bit of heaven I had left. I felt my own hope glimmer, pushing itself forward. She wasn't arguing anymore.

"Can you give me that much?" I asked her, nearly scared to death of her answer.

She looked into my eyes, the tears still flowing, and swallowed hard before taking a deep breath.


	5. I Love You

**Chapter Five .. Bella**

**I Love You**

"Can you give me that much?" He asked me, practically begging with his beautiful green eyes. He stared at me, waiting for an answer. As the seconds ticked by, the worse his expression became. His shaky hand hung there, barely touching my cheek, but afraid to fall completely. His eyes swelled up, turning red and filling themselves with tears. They threatened to pour over his face and I knew the second they did, I would lose it.

I was losing him, slowly but surely. And I couldn't handle that. He didn't need me falling apart in front of him. He didn't need me blaming him for everything and pulling complete nonsense out of thin air.

"I need you too." I finally whispered. His face relaxed the slightest and he let out the breath he'd been holding. "I need you so much, Edward." And I did. I needed the life we promised each other back. I needed it all, him and Emma - us. But at this point in my life, I wasn't entirely sure what to fight for more. I knew we needed time, it was obvious, but this wasn't helping. Seeing him today, spending time with him and Emma, made me think that maybe, just maybe, things would be alright. What if I just let him come home and we worked it out with him there? What if he never had to leave in the first place? But now what if that didn't work? It didn't work two months ago, It didn't work a week ago. And it wasn't going to work now.

He smiled. "Bella, I love you." And his hand regained it's touch on my cheek. He stroked my skin with his thumb, sending my body into near convulsions. I felt the flush of my cheek and knew he saw it when his face broke into laughter. "I love that."

I smiled gently and reached up to take his hand, pulling it away from my heated face. "Edward, I know today was great, and I know that we're on the right path, but I.." I stuttered, shaking my head, not knowing what to really say. "I can't just,"

He put his other hand up, stopping me. "I know. We can't just go back. I understand that, Bells, and I respect it. But please," he begged, "don't ever think that you're a bad mother. You're amazing, beyond words, with Emma. You're everything my heart ever pictured. You will _never_ be a bad mother. Emma is fine, please stop worrying about her."

"But she's not," I started to argue. He reached up to stop me, gently laying his finger on my lips.

"She is." He nodded his head. "She's perfect. I know that you're main priority is her, but you have to realize that she's fine. If something is bothering her, she'll tell someone. We'll know. We've always know."

I nodded slowly.

"You always blame me for over-thinking everything," he grinned sadly. "But I think it's your turn to stop over-thinking."

I nodded, looking away from him and to the door. I felt the pull start. The longer I stood here with Edward, the more I needed to be inside with my daughter. But I wanted to stay with Edward. I wanted to stay and talk, and begin this process that would take however long. But I wanted to be inside, knowing what she was doing, what she needed, or what she wanted. I didn't know how I was going to handle this. It had only been a day and I was falling apart.

My need for Edward never diminished. My need for Emma was never stronger. I was being pulled in two different directions. While I needed to be a mother, a good mother, I needed to make time to be with Edward too. It had never been like this. It was always the three of us, never just two. But tonight, just like last night, I would be torn again. I had Edward now, but I wouldn't have him later. He would be here, with Emmett and Rosalie, and I would be at home, with Emma. But now that I had him, I felt the need to spend my time with Emma. I was fighting with myself, trying to find a good reason to just go home and get away from the beautiful god that was begging me to work this out and be his again. But at the same time, I was losing a battle of will. I needed to be near him. That's why I fell in love with him. That's why I married him and had a beautiful child with him. I wanted him, but I wanted us to live a long and happy life _together_, and until this was situated, I just couldn't do that.

So what now?

I felt my mind crumpling again. I felt the breakdown coming again.

"Bella," Edward eyed me carefully, as if he was sensing it too. "We should get inside."

I nodded, turning to walk inside. Before I could open the door though, he gripped my hand. I turned to face him.

His lips were pressed together as he stared at me. Then he took a deep breath and stepped closer. "I love you, Bells. Nothing will ever change that, I promise. We're still the same people we always have been, just older and less appreciative of each other." He forced a small smile. "Or, rather I'm less appreciative of you. But I promise you, things will be great again. I'll make sure of it. You're my everything, and I won't lose you. I'll do whatever it takes to make this right. If it takes months to undo what I've done, I'll endure it. I don't know where to start, or how to start. I don't know what to say, or what not to say. I don't know what it is I should expect. But I will find out and I will make it right again. You're still my best friend, and my wife, and I still need you just as much as I needed you then. You can still talk to me, whenever about whatever."

I nodded, smiling up at him. "I love you too." I didn't know what else to say. I wanted everything he wanted, just as much as he wanted it, but he was right. I didn't know where to start, or what to say.

"Mommy!" Emma bounded across the living room. She crashed into my legs and wrapped her arms around them. Edward quickly put his hand on my back, steadying me before she could knock me down. She looked up at me, her bright eyes gleaming. "You and daddy okay?"

I smiled down at her, nodding my head yes. "Of course, baby. Daddy and I are fine." Then I looked over my shoulder to Edward. He nodded and then reached out for Emma. She let her pick her up and toss her over his shoulder. She squealed in delight as he carried her towards the kitchen.

"Daddy!" She yelled, giggling loudly.

Rosalie smiled over at me and carefully stepped closer. "Is everything," she bit down on her lip. "I know you and Edward have a lot of work, but is everything okay, right now?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Good," she smiled. "Dinner is just getting started, Edward and Emmett are going to finish. If you would like, I could bring the box of toys we have for Emma downstairs."

"That would be great." I answered.

Rosalie smiled and headed upstairs to grab the toys Emma had some how accumulated here. The child had more than her share of toys, not only at our house, but everyone else's houses too.

I walked over to sit on the couch, leaning against the back cushion and gently rubbing my face. Today was amazing, and I had some how managed to ruin it all on the drive home. I broke down when I shouldn't have. Things between Edward and I were bad, but there weren't seeming so unfixable anymore. At this point I was utterly convinced that the only way to really fix this mess was to sit back and take things back to the beginning. Edward and I barely spent any time dating. We weren't ever hardly alone, constantly surrounded by our family. It wasn't a horrible thing, but I'm not sure we know as much about each other than we originally thought. There was always someone else around. All throughout school, it was always the six of us. Even after Edward and I finally rounded up the circle of relationships, nothing changed. None of us ever once tried to venture out alone, as a person or a couple. It was always the six of us.

Alice and Jasper didn't have a hard time after they graduated, if fact since the wedding they seem perfectly blissful. They managed to find their own little world and keep in sane, and happy.

Rosalie and Emmett have never had a hard time being a couple. They seem to take things shockingly slower than the rest of us. Everyone always pictured they would be married with little feet pattering everywhere long before anyone else. But they have managed to take things down a bit since high school. But it works for them.

But Edward and I, it's just different. We were best friends our entire lives, still are. We knnew absolutely everything about each other, but it just doesn't seem that way anymore. I felt the the Edward I fell in love with is not the man that used to come home and crash on the couch because he was too tired to fight with me. He is not the man that would show up late for dinner with no good excuse as to why he was late. He's just not the man that I used to know. He changed, he grew up, pushed himself into her career. But it's what he was supposed to do. It's what I should have done. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad if I had.

I could sit here and come up with thousands of reasons why this should all be Edward's fault, but when I really thought about it, I couldn't come up with even one good reason.

"Here we are," Rosalie set the box down. "This should keep her occupied, right?" She laughed quietly as she looked over at me. "Bella?"

I nodded slowly. "It should."

Rosalie came and sat down next to me, draping her arm across the cushion behind me. "Are you alright?"

I shook my head. "I feel like I'm falling apart."

Rosalie sighed and scooted closer to me, gently stroking her hand over my head. "Isabella Marie Cullen, you are not falling apart."

"But I am," I argued. "I'm falling to pieces and I can't explain why. One minute I'm blaming Edward for everything, and the next I'm realizing it's all my fault. One minute I am dead set on fixing things between him and I, and the next I'm just so confused as to what I'm even supposed to do with everything. I'm scared, and nervous, terrified that things aren't going to go well and then I start to think that things wouldn't be so bad if I had just been more focused on my marriage. I can't sit here and blame him, Rosalie." I looked over at her, tears welling up in my eyes. "Because it's not all his fault. But I can't figure out what I've done to mess everything up."

"You have not done anything, Bella." Rosalie assured me, trying to calm me down. She reached over to wipe the tear from my cheek. "You and Edward will work this out, I promise. You just need time. It's not something that will fix itself in a day or two. It's a huge thing that requires work and focus. You will figure it all out."

I shook my head. I was losing my mind.

"Bella?" Edward called from the kitchen doorway. "Do you mind coming to get Emma," he chuckled. "She's distracting Emmett."

I nodded and stood up. I walked into the kitchen and scooped her up into my arms, quickly carrying her out. Edward reached out to stop me, obviously seeing the expression on my face, but didn't stop me.

"Here you go, baby." I pointed out the toys on the ground for her. Her eyes lit up and she attacked them instantly. I smiled and walked back over to Rosalie.

"Everything is going to be okay, Bella." She assured me. I nodded, but wasn't entirely convinced. She saw this and moved closer, lowering her voice. "You are so used to everything being picture perfect, Bella. Married in high school, baby in college. Happy life, happy career, happy baby. Everything has always been so perfect for you. And now it's not, and you don't know how to handle it."

I nodded, seeing what she was saying. "But it hasn't been necessarily perfect. We've had our problems."

Rosalie nodded. "Yes, but they have never been problems you could help. This thing, this issue, between you and Edward is something that could have been prevented." Then she stopped, obviously hearing what she had just said. "What I mean is, that it wasn't supposed to be like this."

I reached out to stop her. "I understand. I know the problems we're having were completely avoidable."

She sighed, relieved. "Just give it some time. You know Emmett and I would love to babysit for you. Any time you and Edward need a night to yourselves, just call. We'd be more than happy to help you and Edward. I can't watch you two fall apart like this."

I thanked her and turned to look at Emma. She was scooting an old toy truck across the living room. Rosalie was right. I was so used to everything to being okay. No matter what issue we came across, it was somehow fixed by itself. We never really had to work for our relationship. It always so came so easily. Well, it wasn't going to be like that anymore. We were adults, with our own family and things to take care of. We weren't children anymore. Everything wasn't going to be solved by lunch time. We had actual problems that needed our full attention. We could no longer count on things working themselves out. It was up to us.

I looked over my shoulder to Edward standing in the kitchen. His face was perfect, but there was a hint of sadness to it. Emmett clapped him on the back and he gave him a small smile. No doubt they were discussing exactly what Rosalie and I were. His eyes suddenly met mine and he froze. He let out a deep breath and smiled at me, and then he mouthed "I love you".


	6. You Have Your Moments

**Chapter Six** **.. Edward**

**You Have Your Moments**

I could see it in her eyes. She was falling apart. She was torn between her love for me and her love for Emma. It shouldn't have to be like that.

Her love for our daughter was natural, it was expected. Instinctual. But her love for me was comfortable, it was just as natural.

How did we get so lost that it came down to this? How did we become two strangers living in the same house? How did it get this bad?

Earlier this morning I thought I was the one that had it bad. I was losing my wife, slowly but surely. But I never felt like I was losing Emma with it all. I knew, in the end, Emma would always be my baby girl. She would always be there. But Bella could leave at any time and find someone else. I was losing my wife, not my child. But at this point I've realized that I may be losing both, and I couldn't settle for that.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Emmett." I shook my head at him as I turned to wash the last plate in the sink. "It's too early for something like that."

He scoffed. "Too early? You guys have been having problems for months and you think it's too early to take your wife out to dinner?"

I turned around and leaned back against the counter. "So you saw?"

He shrugged slowly. "Kind of." Then he shook his head. "It wasn't obvious, but looking at it now, knowing what I know, I see it."

I nodded. "My own family didn't even realize that I was treating my wife like crap. Great." I muttered and turned back around to wipe the counter.

"No," he argued. "It's not just your fault, dude." Then he clapped my on the back, regaining my attention. "You both are to blame, Edward. Don't make this all about you. You're not the only one that made mistakes. You both have."

I swung around becoming face to face with my six and a half foot tall burly brother. "She's not to blame for the mistakes that I made, Emmett."

He put his hand on my chest pushing me backwards. "Don't get your panties in a wad, Edward. I'm just saying that you need to take a step back and look at the big picture. You both made mistakes. It doesn't just take one to ruin a marriage like this. You two are sickeningly in love. You really think that it only took you to do this?" And he twisted around pointing to the living room. I followed his finger and saw Bella sitting on the couch just staring at Emma. Rosalie was talking to her, and I could tell she was listening, but she wasn't paying her any attention. Her blank, sad stare focused on our daughter playing in the middle of the floor.

"You really think that was only you?" He asked again. "Look at her, Edward."

"I am," I spoke quietly. "She's hurt."

He nodded. "Of course she's hurt. She's losing everything she's been so used to for her entire life. Of course she's gonna be hurt. But come on, Edward, get real. I love Bella, but she's made mistakes too."

"Like what?" I asked, genuinely curious about something I obviously wasn't seeing.

He sighed and moved to stand in front of me, blocking my view of Bella. "Think about it, Edward. All those nights you stayed late at work, did she once call you?" And before I could open my mouth to answer, he interrupted me. "All of those nights you came home at midnight, did she once come downstairs to get you? Did she once wake you up from the couch and ask you to come upstairs with her?"

I slowly shook my head, realizing that Emmett may have been exactly right. Bella never did call me, explaining that she didn't want to bother me at work. She never called me at work, but it wasn't because she didn't care, it was because it was my job.

"She's never called me at work though, not since I started working there." I tried to explain to him but he cut me off.

"It doesn't matter." He half shouted at me. He turned to look over his shoulder quickly, then focused back on me. "Communication Edward! It's all about communication, and right now you and Bella have absolutely none! You don't speak to each other unless you're fighting or trying to find an excuse not to fight. I saw you two out front, Edward, and I can tell you right now that's not the way to fix things. You can tell her that you love her until you turn blue and pass out, but it's not going to mean anything until you _both_ learn to back it up."

I opened my mouth to speak but quickly realized that I had no argument. I instead shook my head and sighed, leaning back against the counter again.

"See?" He pointed out. "You can't argue with me Edward because, for a change, I'm right. And you know it. You can sit here and blame yourself for everything, say that it's all your fault, and attempt to fix your marriage on your own. Or," he shrugged and took a step back out of my face. "you can admit to yourself that she's just as to blame as you are and you can work with her to fix your marriage. Either way it'll get fixed, but only once you learn to blame her for the things she's done will it stay fixed."

I nodded. "You're right."

Then he grinned. "I know, stunning right?"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "You have your moments."

"I'm not just a pretty face, you know." He smiled at me, nodding his head with his eyebrows raised.

"Emmett." Rosalie stepped into the kitchen, looking first to Emmett and then to me. "I think Bella would like to talk to Edward before she leaves."

Emmett nodded and I immediately straightened up as Bella walked into the kitchen. She was looking at the ground, eyes trained on where she was walking as opposed to me, who she came to see. Rosalie grabbed Emmett's hand, walking him out of the kitchen, but not before he nudged me. "Remember, Edward."

I nodded and watched them walk away. Then I looked back to Bella, who was still looking away from me. "Bells." I whispered as I started to walk towards her. She put her hand up to stop me, letting it rest on my chest.

"This obviously isn't working, Edward." She whispered back to me, finally looking up at my eyes. "This," she gestured between the two of us, "isn't going to fix itself over-night. And what we're trying to do is doing no good for either of us."

I nodded to agree. "It's not."

She took a deep breath. "Rosalie suggested seeing a therapist."

I nodded slowly. "Is that what you want?"

"No." She shook her head. "It's not what I want."

I started to ask her what she did want, but I quickly stopped myself. _She's just as to blame as you are._ "So what do we do?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "What should we do, Edward? I can't continue on like this." Her eyes started to well up with tears, but I saw her fighting it. Her lip was trembling, but she wasn't going to let it slip. "This isn't healthy for anyone."

I nodded. "I know." And then I shrugged. I didn't know what to do. "Can I ask you a question, Bella?"

She met my gaze again, staring at me. "Sure."

"Do you love me?"

She looked stunned, confused. "Of course I love you, Edward."

I nodded. "Do you love me enough to be with me forever?"

She nodded as well. "Why are you asking that question?"

"I have to know, Bella." I began. "I have to know if what we have is worth fighting for. I can't live without you, but I have to know that you feel the same. I have to know that we're fighting for the same thing."

"Edward," she stopped me. "Of course we are fighting for the same thing. I love you, we have a child together, I can't imagine..."

"Stop," I stopped her. "Forget that we have Emma. If we didn't have her, would you still fight to stay with me?"

Her eyes grew wide. "How can you ask that?"

I stepped closer to her, gripping her shoulders. "I have to know. If we didn't have a child together, something to keep us fighting even harder, would you just let me go?"

She shook her head. "No. And you should know better." Then she took a step back, slapping my hands away. "I love you, Edward. Don't ever question that."

"I'm not." I tried to calm her down before she got too loud. "I'm just asking, Bella."

"Would you fight for me?" She spit back. "If Emma didn't exist would you fight for me?"

"Always have." I responded easily. "Always will."

She took a deep breath, calming herself down. Then she shook her head and whispered, "me too."

"Now that we're on the same page, where do we go from here?" I asked carefully. "You have to tell me what you want in order for me to do anything."

She just stared at me, not opening her mouth to say anything.

"I want you. That's what _I_ want, Bella. I want my family back. I want you back. I want what we used to have. I want it all back. The laughs, the memories, I want them all. I know how it used to be, and I know how it can be, and I want that." I stepped closer again. "I won't settle for anything less than what we know we deserve."

She nodded slowly, looking up at me. "I want that too."

"Good." I smiled. "Then how do we start?"

Once again she didn't know how to answer, and I felt like I was talking to a brick wall. She didn't have any suggestions, any words of wisdom. She offered close to no help at all. _She's just as to blame as you are._ I started to believe what Emmett was saying. She was to blame too. As long as I had sat here wanting to take all the blame for our failing marriage, I should have been really thinking about everything. The big picture, as he called it. I should have been considering that I couldn't do this on my own. But I've always been her protector. I've always looked out for her, kept her safe and happy. It was only natural to think that I could do this alone, because I had convinced myself that I was the sole reason everything was falling apart. And if it was my fault, shouldn't I be the one to fix it?

That wasn't the case anymore.

I felt myself growing angry. This wasn't just my fault. I wasn't in this marriage alone. And Emmett was right, about everything. Granted, I never called her, she never called my either. She never came downstairs to see if I was home. Never asked me to join her upstairs. Both of us stopped trying to romance each other a while ago. Our spark was fading, being slowly dimmed until I was sure nothing would exist at all.

"Bella," I stuttered out, shaking my head. "You're right. This isn't healthy for anyone, and I can't do this alone anymore."

Her eyes met mine and she furrowed her eyebrows in shock. "I never asked you to do this alone."

I nodded, "I know, but I feel like I am."

"Edward," she began getting angry too. "I'm here too!"

"Yes, you are Bella, but you're offering my nothing anymore. You're not helping me, you're not talking to me, you're barely even acknowledging me, and I'm standing right here."

The tears began to fall down her face, and I instantly felt awful. But that was my weakness; her tears.

"I never once asked you to handle this on your own, Edward." She sniffled. "I'm here! I'm right here! I've always been right here!"

I looked over her shoulder to see Rosalie peaking around the corner, ready to step in at any second. She frowned at me, sighing quietly. This obviously wasn't going as they planned.

"Bella," I reached out to calm her. "Stop yelling."

She slapped my hand away. "First you sit here and question my love for you, and then you tell me I'm doing nothing to try and help. I'm so lost, Edward, that I don't know anything anymore. Everything is falling apart and you're making it seem like I don't care. You asked if I would fight for you and I said yes. I'll always say yes. But not if you're not going to believe me." Then she turned to walk away. I reached out for her but she shoved me away again, snapping her head back at me. "I can't sit here while you question our marriage."

I let her go and she turned to walk away, scooping Emma up in her arms and hurrying out the door. I heard her put my daughter in the car and then I heard her pull away. And the entire time I just sat there. I sat there and let her walk away from me and I didn't make any move to stop her. I didn't plead for her, I didn't run after her. I did nothing.

But for once, I didn't feel bad about it.

Maybe I was losing everything, but at this point, did anything matter anymore. I was fighting with the reality that I wasn't entirely to blame for my marriage falling apart worse and worse everyday, and the reality that Bella as fighting too. But we weren't fighting for the same thing anymore. We were on completely different pages. She was heading in once direction, and me the complete opposite.

There was once a time in my life where I would follow that girl to the end of the earth, and back again. I would go anywhere in the world she wanted to go, do anything it took to make her happy. While that was still true, I felt like she was leading me in the wrong direction. For the first time in my life, my mind was pulling me away from Bella. And I wasn't doing anything to stop it.


	7. Will You Tell Him I Love Him?

**Chapter Seven .. Bella**

**Will You Tell Him I Love Him?**

"Mommy?" Emma caught my attention from the backseat. I quickly peered into the rear view mirror, letting her know I was paying attention. "Why did you yell at daddy?"

I felt my heart sink. I had promised myself that no matter what, Emma wouldn't see that part of our problems. I never wanted her to see us fighting. But she had. I hadn't been able to control my temper and my daughter heard me yelling at her daddy.

I didn't know what to say to her. I couldn't lie to her, she was too smart for that. I couldn't tell her the truth, that would be too much for her. But what was the truth?

I just gave her a weak smile. "I didn't mean to yell at daddy." And I hadn't.

She stared at me through the mirror. I felt the strength of her gaze on my face. She simply shrugged it off and turned to look back out the window. I felt a bit of a weight lift from my shoulders. But it was right back again. She had let it go without further explanation, but I knew she was smarter than that. She knew more than I could ever imagine. She was observant, and brilliant. She was eager to learn and watch. She saw everything, even if I didn't want her to. That's what made her so amazing.

That's what made her so heartbreakingly amazing.

But it's also what made her my weakness. I couldn't bear to let her see the bad things in life, but no matter how hard I tried she still saw them. She wormed her way around my defense and saw exactly what I didn't want her seeing. What was she going to think about me now? Would she think I was an awful mother for yelling at her daddy? Would she hate me? Would she assume the worst about her parents marriage? Was she old enough to know we were falling apart?

I pulled into the driveway just after dark completely filled the sky. Emma was still staring out the back window when I opened her door to let her out. She silently lifted her arms up at me, allowing me to take her from the seat and into the house.

I shut and locked the door behind us, making sure the living room curtains were closed securely before taking her upstairs to bathe and change her clothes.

I allowed her to pick out her own pajamas, insisting though that she pick something warm. She obliged and ran off ahead of me into the bathroom across the hall. She threw her stuff into the counter as I started the water.

"I need these," she quietly whispered to herself as she pulled her basket of bath toy out from under the sink. "And these," as she grabbed the soap and shampoo from the other corner. She stood up, surveying her things before turning to the tub. She tossed everything in, all except the shampoo, then turned to smile at me. "All ready." She gleamed.

I smiled back at her, overjoyed with her happiness of the little things. All she wanted right now were her bath toys and water.

She quickly undressed herself as I plugged the tub, letting the water fill up rather quickly. She hoped in slowly, testing the water with her little toes before allowing herself to sink in comfortably. Once she was satisfied and happy with the amount of water in the tub, she signaled to me to stop the flow of water.

I leaned down next to the tub and took a seat with my back to the wall. I watched her carefully as she splashed around in the water, throwing her toys around. She payed special attention to the small group of duckling's her aunt Alice bought her just a few months ago. They were her favorite, mainly because they sparked knowledge. They were brightly colored and numbered in size. She took special notice of things that taught her something.

I handed her a wash cloth from the back of the sink, letting her lather it herself to wash off. She had to scrub the dirt off of her feet from the zoo today. The lines from her little white sandals giving her the most trouble. Once she seemed please that she was squeaky clean, she handed the rag back to me and I tossed it into the sink.

Emma continued to splash around for a bit longer before I suggested that she wash her hair before the water gets too cold. She nodded and politely pushed her toys away, grabbing the soap from me and putting some in her hand. I watched carefully as she lathered it up and smoothed it over her head, saturating her long bronze curls. She hated that her hair was too long for her to clean herself and I would always wind up stepping in to help. But she refused to cut it. Edward loved it just the way it was and had encouraged her long ago to just let it grow. In fact, we hadn't cut it drastically since her first birthday when we took her for her first haircut. She didn't much enjoy it, much to the dismay of her aunt Alice. Since then, trips to the salon are very rare. She'll only allow it to cut it enough to rid the dead ends.

"Mommy, I done." She spoke, regaining my attention. "You rinse?"

I nodded and grabbed the little yellow cup from beside the soap dish. I filled it and carefully dumped it over her tilted head quite a few times, until I was sure all of the shampoo was out of her hair.

I got up to grab a towel, making sure to keep a close watch on her as I stepped over towards the closet. Emma was very careful, always aware of right and wrong, but I hardly ever took chances.

Once she saw the towel, she reached up and pulled the drain from the hole, letting the water swirl down the drain. She gathered her toys, rinsing them off before putting them back into her basket. Then she set it in the bottom of the empty tub to finish draining and drying.

"Brrr," she shivered, smiling up at me. I quickly wrapped the towel around her, rubbing her arms to create friction. She giggled and huddled inside the towel, grabbing it in her own hands and holding it closed.

She looked up at me for a second and then bolted out of the bathroom, running into the hallway. I quickly chased after her, snatching her up just before she made it to her door. "And where do you think you're going little girl? You're soaking wet."

She giggled as I tossed her up into my arms, holding her tightly. "Mommy, you gotted me!"

"Of course I gotted you, baby girl." I reassured her, holding her against me as I wiped the excess water away from her arms and legs. I set her down and finished ridding her of bath water. Then I walked her back into the bathroom where she had abandoned her jammies. "You need these, silly girl." I pointed out as I grabbed her outfit off of the counter. She smiled and let go of the towel, proceeding to dress herself. I helped her towel dry her hair, then I brushed through it for her. She always complained about how much it hurt, but she never whined too much.

Once that was done I walked her back to her room and helped her turn down her bed. She ran over to the small nightstand we had for her in the corner and shuffled through her cd's. They were mainly ones that Edward had made her during his free time at work. She loved listening to him play, and it sufficed her when he wasn't home.

I watched as she carefully set the cd inside the player and shut it, pressing a couple buttons before the soft music filled the room. She bounded back to her bed and hoped in, shoving her feel under the covers.

I smoothed her hair back from her face, helping her get comfortable in her bed. She relaxed quickly and eventually was too tired to fight it anymore. I stood up to leave the room, shutting off the overhead light and turning on her dim baby lamp. Before I could leave the room though, she called my name.

"Yes, baby?" I asked as I leaned against the door.

She didn't sit up, just opened her eyes barely enough to see out of. "Today was fun."

I smiled. "Yes, it was. I'm very glad you enjoyed yourself. We'll have to do it again sometime."

She nodded. "With daddy?"

I swallowed hard. "Yes." I chocked out. "Of course."

She nodded as she snuggled her head into her pillow. "Will you tell him I love him?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes." Then I felt the tears attack my eyes. "Yes, I will."

She usually did this. On the nights Edward wouldn't be home when she fell asleep, she would ask me to tell Edward that she loved him, and goodnight. Tonight was no different, but it seemed to hurt a bit worse.

"I love you too, mommy." She whispered. "Bunches."

"I love you too, Emma." I whispered back. "Bunches." Then I shut the door.

I paused in the hallway for a moment, leaning back against the wall beside her door. Silence surrounded me, attacking me from every angle. My heart was pounding and my eyes were watering. My knees were shaking, and I felt my throat close up. I tried my best not to sob too loudly, because I knew Emma would hear it.

I regained my composure long enough to make it to my room. Our room. I closed the door behind me and walked slowly towards the bed. Once I was safely there, I plopped down, feeling even more emotions overtake my body. I felt like crying at the same time I felt like shouting. I was angry, but sad and confused. I was tired, but nearly determined enough to drive back to Emmett and Rosalies and beg him to come home and tell his daughter that he loved her. It was the least he could do. But then I had to remember that I'm the one that picked her up and left with her.

Instead, I changed out of my clothes, took a quick shower to calm myself down and settled into bed. I flipped on the television, more for sound and company than entertainment. After I was calm and collected enough, I reached for my cell phone.

"_Hello Bells."_ He whispered into the receiver. _"What's wrong?"_

"Nothing," I assured him. "I just wanted to tell you that, well, Emma wanted me to tell you that she loves you."

"_Is she still awake?"_

"No," I sighed quietly. "She's been bathed and put to bed. She's so tired."

I heard him sigh as well. _"Well, when she wakes up tell her that I love her. Please."_

"I will." I assured him. And then I froze. I knew I should probably apologize for earlier, but I couldn't find the air in my lungs.

"_I love you too."_ He whispered.

"I know." I said back, barely audible. "I love you, Edward."

"_Listen, Bella."_ He began. _"About earlier, I'm sorry about what I said. I'm sorry that I questioned you. I know that you love me and I know that you would fight me. I guess I just... I don't know. I guess I just had to hear it."_

I nodded to myself. "I know."

"_I'm willing to work this out, Bella, because I need you. Not just because I love you."_

I understood that. I needed him too.

"_But I just don't know where to go from here."_ He sounded completely defeated. _"I'm lost."_

I felt the tears welling up again. And suddenly I remembered his words from earlier. I wasn't helping at all. "Me too, Edward." I spoke quickly, letting him know that I was here, that I was here to help as much as he was. "I'm so confused. All I know is that I want you. I want you more than anything, and I'm so confused as to how all of this happened. I can't imagine how we got here."

"_I want so bad to say that everything will be alright."_

"Me too."

"_But that's not how it is. That's not life, Bella."_ His words affirmed what I dreaded. It wasn't going to be easy. _"It's not something one day will work out."_

"I know." I began. "But I also know that it's all worth fighting for. Everything. You and me. Emma. Our family. It's all worth it."

I heard him sign contently. _"It is."_

"Then we do what we can?" I asked carefully, scared of how things could go if we weren't careful.

"_Yes,"_ he whispered. And then he took a deep breath. _"I love you, Bella. And I'll talk to you tomorrow."_

I nodded, telling him I loved him back.

As I cuddled into the pillows on our bed, I felt the tears run over my nose. I reached up to wipe them away, accidently scratching myself with my engagement ring. I rubbed it softly before lifting my hand to peer at the ring in front of my face. Memories flashed through my mind. The day we had our first real kiss, the day he told me he loved me and I knew he meant it more than he ever had. The day he proposed and the fight in the rain that led to the most passionate night of my life. The day we decided to get married. The night we snuck out of the house and drove for hours. Our first night as husband and wife. Our first year in college. The day we found out about Emma. The day she was born, and the day we were together again as a real family. Everything. Every small detail flooded my mind like an endless river that never stopped, never slowed down.

My mind was in shambles, trying so hard to piece everything back together at the same time it was trying to find out how it fell apart in the first place. I was scared that everything I just remembered would some how only ever be memories. I was scared that nothing would be real ever again. I was scared that somehow, somewhere, I'd lost everything.

Was it possible to fix everything? Was it possible for Edward and I to somehow figure this out long enough to be happy again? And if we did fix things, how long would it stay intact?

I had to find out the answers to these questions. Not for myself. Not for Edward.

But for Emma.


End file.
